55 Things You Can Do To Lead A Healthier and Happier Life

Having a healthy and happy life, both physically and mentally, is definitely important. I personally try to follow as many of these tips to keep my life on track and full of positivity (sometimes). Trying even a few of these will allow you to notice a change in your happiness and mental health, as well as how you’re feeling physically.

1. Eat more fruit.
2. Sleep for at least seven hours; you’ll find yourself concentrating better, smiling more, feeling more positive and becoming ill less often!
3. Don’t use your phone for an hour before you sleep.
4. Drink peppermint, green or herbal tea – I mean, the health benefits are endless and it tastes pretty good! You can even spice up your drink with raspberries, lemon, or serve cold with ice.
5. Drink at least 6 glasses of water.
6. Eat 3 meals.
7. Have a snack earlier rather than later.
8. Limit screen time.
9. Get fresh air.
10. Do at least 30 minutes of exercise, even simply walking.
11. Have a few minutes of calming meditation or reflection daily.
12. Meet new people regularly; or talk to people online! Having a bigger circle of friends improves general positivity.
13. Try something new every now and then.
14. Treat yourself to something if you feel you deserve it.
15. Do work in moderation with play.
16. Ditch the fast food takeouts.
17. Allow yourself five minutes in bed in the morning to prepare for the upcoming day.
18. Cut those who don’t bring happiness out of your life.
19. Tell people how you are feeling.
20. Set positive quotes as your lockscreen or print them out around your workspace.
21. Learn about something new.
22. Get back in touch with that friend from school.
23. Have a night routine that stays roughly the same every evening before school or work; it results in better sleep, better mental health and more positivity.
24. Read more – higher IQ levels and general intelligence, here you come.
25. Do something outside of your comfort zone sometimes; it will be worth it.
26. Brighten up holidays or weekends with a positive thing, such as going out for drinks or a shopping trip with your sister. Having something to motivate you to get through the week is a great way to keep happy and inspired.
27. Write! Keep a journal, start blogging, or write a story… It promotes happiness and productivity as well as being able to focus on tasks for longer and raising your idea of self-worth.
28. Help someone out!
29. Feeling down? Tell someone! Studies prove that the old saying a problem shared is a problem halved as confiding in a friend or family member and telling them how you feel not only reduces stress but also decreases your chances of developing mental health disorders.
30. Preparing meals yourself instead of purchasing ready meals isn’t only healthier and cheaper, but can prevent you of mental health problems and keep you happy!
31. Be creative – by letting your creative juices flow for even ten minutes daily, you are raising your IQ and reducing negativity.
32. Stop comparing yourself to others and feed off your own success and improvement.
33. Remember everyone has different abilities, strengths, weaknesses and talents.
34. Complete deadlines earlier, and hopefully on the date they are set. This is a great way to reduce any stress or anxiety over workload.
35. Take time to yourself! Everyone deserves a break now and again. Put down the computer and just relax for an hour before going to bed.
36. Pack and organise what you need for the day the night before to limit forgetting anything and also reducing stress.
37. Praise yourself once daily about anything you think you have worked hard for and achieved, or something you are proud of.
38. Set achievable goals for yourself instead of aiming too high.
39. Spend time with people and go out more!
40. Decorate something – whether it be your room, your desk or a notebook the creativity will release endorphins that make you happy.
41. Do a little sport every day. Again, the endorphins will be released and you’ll be super motivated and feeling like a girl boss.
42. Stay off social media for a day as it can change how we see things such as body image, beauty and relationships.
43. Drink lemon or cucumber water – the health benefits outweigh the slightly strange taste and you’ll soon become acquired! It can also aid healthy sleeping patterns, headaches and period pains.
44. On your period? It actually raises the body temperature by around three degrees, so wear something a little lighter for the week.
45. Annoyed by a friend? Instead of getting into a petty argument, use a notebook to write down how you feel. Studies have shown this technique really works and can be useful for 88% of relationships.
46. Swap meat for fish, or even better, eat vegetarian.
47. Lacking in calcium? Feeling tired? Supplements provide easy substitutes for foods you may be missing out on; however, eating the foods that contain certain vitamins and proteins is much healthier. Lacking in particular vitamins can really reduce your happiness and you health!
48. Owning a pet can improve your mood – but only if you aren’t allergic. If you are, I recommend some kitten pictures being saved in your phone for an instant pick-me-up.
49. Meditation allows you to switch off for a while and focus on the positives, as well as having several health benefits. Practice this a few times a week and feel results almost immediately.
50. Having a playlist full of sad songs can actually make you happier. Weird, right? Even weirder that every single style of music promotes positivity; basically, just go grab your headphones now!
51. Have a bath – not only does the hot water improve any muscular pain, strains or aches, it also reduces stress, sadness and irritation. Studies also show scented candles, bath bombs and having a bubble bath compared to a normal bath sans bubbles can make you happier.
52. Take a trip down memory lane once in a while and remember happy times.
53. Scientists say hitting the shops and buying a present for a friend or family member can reduce negativity and actually improve your mood.
54. Sign up for a charity event, which firstly contributes to a great cause and also increases your idea of self-worth, makes you happy and gives you some social time! Volunteering is a great way to boost your self-esteem and widen your field of knowledge and experience. 
55. If you have trouble sleeping, swap a Kindle or eBook for a paperback, or ditch the earphones and play meditation music out loud whilst you drift off. Both of these tips help with insomnia, headaches, migraines and can send you to sleep a whole half hour earlier on average.

I hope this list was useful to you all! I learnt loads writing it, felt happy and productive and am definitely going to continue doing some of these… My personal favourite lifestyle tips are drinking green tea as it has dramatically reduced the amount of time it takes me to fall asleep, stop comparing yourself to others and set your alarm five minutes early to stop early morning stress disorder (yes, now it’s a thing). Enjoy leading a slightly healthier and wholly happier life darlings!